Cheap commuter groupsets

I have a Cotic road rat set up as a single speed for commuting.

Looking at a new job and it might lengthen my commute out to 10ish miles with a couple of hills. I was thinking of adding some gears and looking at the cheapest way to do this. It has a hope pro4 hub so that’s fine. The chainset is SS specific so might work with 8 speed but nothing higher. I mostly need the larger/”harder” gears.

Is shimano cues the obvious choice? 42t chainring, then work out the cheapest 9,10,11 speed option. I need to do some reading to understand as there are different levels of performance under the same brand name by the looks of it. Not just speed?

Any other options. I want more road like gearing rather than mtb. I’d probably be fine with an old school 23:11 cassette. I just need enough so I can stay seated on the climbs and not spin out on the descent.

I think the closest range cassette CUES offers is 11-36, 9 speed (I’m sure someone else will know better), it’s not a bad option, but it’s not pitched at superhero gearing.

For the range you say you want, you might do better with a Sora flat bar shifter/mech, a narrow-wide ring and shopping about for an HG cassette, (I’m assuming you want to use a flat handlebar).

Flat or drop bar?

Choose a cheap shifter and derailleur

Then a cassette of the appropriate number of sprockets. Sounds like you need a road cassette

flat bar.

It’s mostly the cost of the Chainset. It won’t accommodate 9,10,11 width chains I think. (Surly chainring). When you start to buy things individually it adds up really quick. Might also look at microshift acolyte as 8 speed would work it really only needs to be basic and reliable.

I like the road rat, it’s fun to ride and robust. But I do have a winter (old) road bike I could relegate to commuting duties but it might not hold up well to the daily abuse. Route is partially off road and through Newcastle/Gateshead centre.

Re. the chainset – can you just replace the ring on it rather than the whole chainset? That should reduce the cost a bit if you can.

Just buy a suitable size ring for the chain width and gearing you want.

Exactly what chainset is it?

There’s a N/W ring available to suit most chainsets, the price varies of course but some can be had very cheap (104 BCD are plentiful).

Claris works very well for a long long time.

A replacement cassette chain and outer chainring  stiffed me less than 60 quid last time I did it. At that point the bike had done 3 years commuting and 1500 km around British columbia.

I’ve got Microshift on my commuter. It’s advent though (9 speed) but I can’t see an awful lot of difference between that and 8 speed.

It’s on a bafang ebike conversion, done 2000 miles on and the mech/shifter a just the job. It gets left outside at work, ridden in the rain, not been cleaned for over a year. Just keeps going. Just match whatever cassette ratio you need, I’ve put a cheap cassette and chain on and it keeps on keeping on. Thoroughly recommended.

Alfine? Sprocket to suit, and no dangly bits…

I just rejuvenated my commuter with cassette, chain middle chainring and altus derailleur (7 speed) from the spares box in my shed.

Bought replacements to go back in the shed for next time (apart from the chainring, as I had 2) for £40.

I was a bit miffed, as I’d just been telling somebody that my running costs for the last 2 years was £78.?

 It’s a tough life, not driving to work…

So I learned something. Even though 9sp chains are wider than 11sp externally, the internal width is the same above 8 speed. I checked my chainring and it will happily take an 11 speed chain. This opens up loads more options, many of them cheap!  I might even have some bits lying around – like a part worn 11:28 cassette too ambitious for the Alps.

Slight related thread hijack

I also run a flatbar road rat as a commuter & need to replace the the worn out XT Shimano 9 speed chainset.

Would a Deore 11 speed 11-51 work? I was sure I could remember reading it could run 11 speed but can’t find that link. So 11 speed with a goatlink or similar?

Cheers